What boundary? What whale? Whose responsibility? - Governing Transboundary Waters: Canada, the United States, and Indigenous Communities - page 162

Figure 9.1 Map of relocation plan to Pedder Bay, British Columbia, and Luna's family
(L-pod's summer territory in San Juan Island, Washington).
would then be placed in Pedder Bay near the province's capital, Victoria. The
hope was that Luna would make acoustic contact with his pod, and swim across
the international border and back into the L-pod territory around the San Juan
Islands. If, however, the reunification did not occur, a non-public contingency
plan to place Luna in an aquarium was planned (Joyce, 2004).
The relocation plan was devised by federal officials (with support from numerous
scientists, researchers, and aquarium personnel), but did not include consultation
with the Indigenous community whose waters Luna inhabited. Had the agencies
included the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation members in the decision-making
process, they would have heard a different perspective - that Luna, was not in fact
“lost”, rather he had returned “home” (James, 2010).
Luna, or in the perception and language of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First
Nation, Tsu-xiit , embodied the spirit of their recently deceased chief, Ambrose
Maquinna. Before passing, Chief Maquinna had disclosed to Mowachaht/
Muchalaht elder Jerry Jack, that his spirit would return to them in the form of an
oakawin (orca, or killer whale). About the same time of the chief's passing, Tsu-
xiit arrived in Nootka Sound, in the traditional territory of Mowachaht/Muchalaht
First Nation . 3
Despite the DFO's lengthy coordination process, the Mowachaht/Muchalaht
First Nation was never directly involved in the decision-making process for the